College Readiness

This graph shows the percentage of graduating seniors who achieved a combined score of at least 21 on any ACT assessment taken prior to graduating, and therefore are classified as being Ready for College Coursework.

Starting with the graduating class of 2016, ACT was not the required Illinois assessment, so this percentage relates to the students in the class who chose to take the ACT test before graduation and is not representative of the entire class, district or state.

Click on View Details to review students’ readiness for college coursework in the four separate ACT subject areas.

While the composite ACT score is a simple way to gauge college readiness, ACT has determined subject-level benchmarks that more precisely measure college readiness in each individual subject. The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are as follows: English has a benchmark of 18, Mathematics has a benchmark of 22, Reading has a benchmark of 22, and Science has a benchmark of 23.

The chart above shows the percentage of graduating seniors who met the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks on any ACT assessment, taken prior to graduating, for each individual subject and also the percentage of graduating seniors who met the Benchmarks for all four subjects.

This graph displays the two performance levels - Meets College Readiness Benchmark or Does Not Meet Benchmark - on the ACT for students in this school over a multi-year period. The green bar indicates the percentage of students achieving the College Readiness Benchmark set by ACT for each subject. The View Details check box adds the data in chart format for the default screen only. Mousing over any bar will give you the exact percentage for that metric.

The scores shown here include results from the following three different administrations of the ACT Assessment for graduating students - (1) most recent scores from an ACT national test date, (2) PSAE testing, and (3) college-reportable scores for students whose accommodations allowed extended time for completing the assessment. Prior to 2013, scores for students with time-extended accommodations were excluded. State averages for ACT data are based on regular public schools and do not include private or special purpose schools.

A college-ready composite score of 21 or higher on the ACT shows that students have learned important academic skills that they will need in order to succeed in college and careers. While academic preparation is an essential part of readiness for college and careers, students also need persistence, motivation, time management, and technical skills.